February 9

Chapter 7

Turn TTG Chapter 1 – 6 Essay into Turnitin

Novels trace the development of characters who encounter a series of challenges. Most characters contain a complex balance of virtues and vices. Internal and external forces require characters to question themselves, overcome fears, or reconsider dreams. The protagonist may undergo profound change. A close study of character development maps, in each character, the evolution of motivation, personality, and belief. The tension between a character’s strengths and weaknesses keeps the reader guessing about what might happen next and the protagonist’s eventual success or failure. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores characters in relation to their landscape, their wealth, and their prior relationships. The more we know about these characters, the more their lives shift from idyllic islands of wealth to colorless portraits floating through a “valley of ashes” with “grotesque gardens.” In this lesson, examine Fitzgerald’s ability to present characters in both their ideal and real countenances.

Read Chapter 7 (pp. 113–145).

Homework – Finish Reading Chapter 7 (pp. 113–145). Come to class with the two most important turning points in the plot of the novel.